Catalyst with Shayle Kann
Catalyst with Shayle Kann

AMA: Fuel cells, geopolitics, and the solar growth curve

September 17, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The surprise of 2026 so far, according to Shayle Kann, is how quickly and broadly the backlash against data centers has taken hold. It has become a genuinely bipartisan issue, which he did not expect. "Politics are local," he explains, and local communities across the political spectrum are upset. The result is that both New York and Texas have seen versions of a moratorium or pause on new data center construction, a development that arrived faster and more seriously than he anticipated. The most extreme anti-data center sentiment comes from figures like Bernie Sanders, who has said that pacing AI development is not enough — it needs to stop. Meanwhile, President Trump stands as the one major voice telling communities not to worry about it.

The Iran War's Surprising Energy Impact

On the war in Iran, Kann sees little direct evidence that it has dramatically reshaped the EV market. Oil prices rose but hovered around $100 per barrel, not the $200 that was feared at the outset. Globally, EV sales outside Europe and the US doubled year over year, and European sales are up 29%. In the US, however, sales are down 21%, a drop Kann attributes almost entirely to the loss of federal EV tax credits. Whatever boost the war might have provided to EV adoption has been "swamped" by the policy change in the US.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (02:51) **Shayle's biggest surprise of 2026: the data center backlash** - The speed and bipartisan nature of community opposition to data centers has caught him off guard.
  • 2 (05:44) **Iran war's limited direct impact on EV markets** - Despite early predictions, the conflict hasn't dramatically shifted EV adoption numbers.
  • 3 (07:37) **The under-discussed consequence: European energy sovereignty** - The Iran war has solidified Europe's push for domestic energy control.
  • 4 (08:59) **Unsung hero: Bloom Energy and fuel cells** - A $50-80 billion company that Shayle believes doesn't get enough credit for its AI-era resurgence.
  • 5 (11:11) **The trend Shayle is watching: data centers subsidizing residential electricity** - A small utility with a gigawatt-scale data center could slash rates for all customers.
  • 6 (15:58) **Will the AI backlash actually slow data center buildout?** - Yes, but only on the margin, not enough to meaningfully impact frontier AI development.
  • 7 (17:42) **Shayle's strong conviction: solar growth forecasts are too low** - He bets the over on every major solar forecast, calling it the safest bet in electricity.

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Guests on this episode

Shayle Kann

Show Notes

As we head into the final quarter of this pivotal and dramatic year for the energy sector, Catalyst host Shayle Kann takes stock of 2026 so far – and considers what’s to come – in this AMA-style episode. He discusses the year’s biggest stories, the trends that have surprised him the most, and his hot takes on the current energy landscape.

Shayle dives into topics including:

- The data center backlash and why it has become more bipartisan than he expected

- The impacts of the war in Iran on global EV adoption, and how the rollback of U.S. tax credits has countered that momentum

- Why fuel cell maker Bloom Energy is flourishing amidst the rush for behind-the-meter generation

- Tariff innovations: How big data centers could subsidize retail electricity rates in small utility territories

- Why Shayle thinks predictions of a flattening U.S. solar market are underestimating massive growth potential

- Hot take: why Shayle thinks massive grid capacity is about to hit the system


- Catalyst: What comes after the data center backlash?

- Catalyst: Can AI revolutionize grid operations?

- Catalyst: Why C&I storage is finally taking off

- Catalyst: Enter the electric supercycle

- Catalyst: Inside the global fertilizer crunch

Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Max Savage Levenson. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor.

Catalyst is brought to you by EnergyHub. Peak season puts every grid to the test — and the utilities that pass are the ones that built flexible capacity before they needed it. EnergyHub works with more than 170 utilities to coordinate 2.5 million devices and 3.4 gigawatts of dispatchable flexibility through a single platform designed to perform when it counts most. See what that looks like at ⁠https://www.energyhub.com/⁠

Catalyst is brought to you by Bloom Energy. Bloom Energy fuel cells deliver affordable, ultra-reliable onsite power for hospitals, utilities, and data centers – at speed and at scale. Learn more by visiting ⁠https://www.bloomenergy.com⁠

This episode of Catalyst is brought to you by ENGIE, the smarter energy supplier. ENGIE doesn't just provide the power to run your business — they supply t

Catalyst with Shayle Kann

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